Thoughts on this letting.

Jaysus_1984

Could it be that the landlord just doesn't have money to do the garden job? You said it's a big job, so likely will be a few thousands of euros...so its like any other plans you might have for a house. Emergencies get in the way.

I have been meaning to redo the attic for years now, but every year, something or the other takes priority - a major family hospitalization set me back nearly 3 years, a boiler replacement another year...things tend to add up.

@PalLimerick - the tone of your responses sounds quite anti-landlord, which I suppose is okay, but they can hardly be forced to come up with money they don't have. Just because they have a big company doesn't mean they're rolling in the stuff. Unless you have access to the internal accounts and balance sheets, you don't really know if the company is doing well. Over the past 2 years, many companies have gone under just trying to pay essential employees. In the midst of all this, if your friend has been chasing them up for garden work every few months, the landlord probably just decided he has had enough. He gave the required notice, and while your friend doesn't have to leave until the notice is up (50 days into the notice), she does have to eventually clear out.

And after serving notice, the landlord is hardly going to spruce up the garden. He might sell the property as-is to get some money, maybe to siphon into his business, who knows! Just like you're looking to give your friend the benefit of the doubt, perhaps you could extend the same courtesy to the landlord?

I am a landlord now, but until a few years ago, I was a renter - 9 years as a renter, 4 years as a landlord. So, I've been on both sides of this table.